


All In A Day's Work

by kitkatt0430



Series: Visions While I Sleep [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: (in all seriousness Hartley could use some work on his socializing), Cisco and Hartley separately realizing they need therapy, Cisco is good at being sneaky here, Cisco would just like to protect Hartley right now, Emotional Conversations, Gen, Hartley does need to restore his professional reputation somehow though, Hartley's stellar social skills, Mental Health Issues, Past Hartley Rathaway/Eobard Thawne | Harrison Wells, Tina gets bitched at but she deserves it in this particular verse, and she makes up for it, and trying to do something nice for Hartley, he doesn't want to be totally dependent on Cisco, meanwhile Cisco is back at work at STAR Labs, preferably without EoWells noticing anything is wrong..., procuring a new job should probably not work like this, survivor's guilt, very proud of Cisco's sneakiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29860413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatt0430/pseuds/kitkatt0430
Summary: Now that Hartley's agreed to team up with Cisco in determining what the hell is up with Dr. Wells and the accelerator (and the comatose Barry Allen), he can't just do the mad scientist thing in a warehouse anymore.  Even if Hartley still totally intends to make his sonic gloves anyway.  But he can't just sit around Cisco's apartment all day investigating conspiracy theories either.  He needs to feel productive and start contributing to the rent.  (Or get his own apartment, but neither one of them wants to talk about how the only time they sleep well any more is when Hartley crawls into Cisco's bed after one - or both - of them has already had nightmares that night...)So the obvious answer is for Hartley to get a job, preferably one he doesn't hate.  But that means repairing his reputation as a scientist and there's only one person, aside from the man who'd ruined Hartley's reputation, who might be able to help him fix things enough to actually get a job somewhere.  It'll mean swallowing his pride and asking for help from someone who has already burned him once, though.  Hartley's not exactly thrilled by that prospect.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon & Hartley Rathaway, Tina McGee & Hartley Rathaway
Series: Visions While I Sleep [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1276352
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	All In A Day's Work

**Author's Note:**

> Hey look, I've finally circled back to this series! Don't know when I'll come back to it again after this one, but... it's not completely dead, I promise. :D
> 
> A quick reminder that Hartley and Cisco are currently working towards two goals. A.) Proving Dr. Wells is criminally liable for the damage, injuries, and deaths caused by the accelerator explosion. B.) Figuring out what Wells' plans for Barry Allen are since, thanks to Cisco's powers and Barry's blog post recounting the events the night his mother died, they're aware the accelerator's malfunction was most likely intended to deliberately target STAR Labs' new coma patient in particular.

So Hartley was not completely broke. Despite having been living homeless in a warehouse while plotting a super villain style revenge on Harrison Wells, Hartley hadn't completely blown his savings on medical treatments after the accelerator exploded. He probably could've afforded a shitty little shoebox apartment in the bad side of town while searching for job prospects that didn't amount to pulling two part time jobs that barely paid minimum wage. Which, thanks to the effort Harrison had put into destroying Hartley's career, were the only sort of jobs Hartley could land at the moment.

Honestly, the super villain style revenge had been more appealing for a lot of reasons. But he was not, at that moment, in his lair (warehouse) trying to figure out where to steal the parts for his sonic gloves. Which he was still definitely going to finish building. Eventually.

He was currently sitting in Cisco Ramon's comfortably warm and eclectic (and surprisingly aesthetically pleasing) apartment. Cisco himself had just rushed off to work at STAR Labs, leaving Hartley alone in the apartment, for which he'd been given the spare key for so that he could come and go as he pleased. And while the chair that converted into a guest bed was currently in guest bed mode, Hartley had woken up in Cisco's bed that morning. Much like basically every other morning for the last week and a half.

Not that they were having sex or anything like that. Usually in the wee hours of the morning, one of them would have bad nightmares. Usually both of them. And Hartley would wind up migrating to Cisco's bed where they'd fall asleep together. And most nights that second round of sleep, curled up with a former rival turned teddy bear, they both would wake up to Cisco's alarm clock playing the best of the eighties, nineties, and today... feeling a little more rested than the day before.

Eventually one of them was going to just put forward the idea of Hartley starting the night in Cisco's bed, but neither was quite ready to take that step yet.

However, Hartley was ready to start paying his own way around here. He'd been living in Cisco's home and eating Cisco's food and he needed to be able to repay that kindness without completely draining what was left in his bank account. Which meant that Hartley needed money coming in and not just flowing out.

He needed a job.

And, sure, he could revisit the minimum wage job opportunities available to him. But if there was even the slightest possibility that Hartley could get his career back on track, well... he had to at least try that first. And there was one person who might be willing to, if not give Hartley a job herself, at least help him find employment somewhere that befit his skills as a physicist. He just... really never wanted to see her again.

Dr. Tina McGee.

After being fired, Hartley had been desperate to stop the accelerator and he'd gone to Dr. McGee for help. It... had not gone well. But now that he'd been proven correct about the accelerator's explosive nature, then perhaps... maybe... she might be willing to admit she'd been wrong and help him this time.

It was worth a try.

So after a shower and getting dressed in the nicest clothes he had left, Hartley locked up Cisco's apartment and took the bus to Mercury Labs.

* * *

After the accelerator not-so-accidentally exploded all over Central City, a number of Cisco's co-workers abruptly packed up and went looking for greener pastures. To the point where Cisco and Caitlin were the only ones left.

Well... Cisco and Caitlin and Dr. Wells.

All the projects were shut down at the moment. All except the monitoring and care of one Barry Allen, which Cisco was not particularly useful for. He had a few personal projects, but... most of his time since the accelerator changed his life in all the wrong ways had been spent doing busy work. 

Fixing the building to be more wheelchair accessible. They'd already met official accessibility standards, Cisco made the building better anyway. But that wasn't all.

Reorganizing the break rooms. Clearing out old offices and donating abandoned clothing, stim toys, and other miscellaneous items. Discovered new candy stashes. Contacted former coworkers about returning some of the more... personal items that clearly shouldn't have been left behind.

So Cisco figured it wouldn't look too weird if he let himself into Hartley's old office. No one had touched the room after Hartley'd been abruptly fired. Dr. Wells had it locked up and that was that. Except now Cisco had the keys to basically every room in the building and, theoretically, Dr. Wells' blessing to use them as he pleased.

Which was why he was now standing in said office. It looked basically how Cisco remembered seeing it last, when Hartley'd been reluctantly complimenting his work and giving him greater responsibilities with the accelerator. They'd never really gotten along and even then there'd been an element of back-handedness to Hartley's compliments, but... Cisco had felt proud that day. He'd forced Hartley Rathaway to not only eat his words, but acknowledge and respect Cisco's skills and work ethic.

It had felt nice.

And then Hartley was just... gone and Cisco's responsibilities had increased again, leaving him no time to investigate the mystery even if he'd wanted to. Which he hadn't, something Cisco regretted now.

But that was the past and this was now.

Cisco's usual process for clearing out the old offices was to bring a few boxes along for sorting items. His basic piles were for supplies to return to storage, items worth keeping around the office, and donatables. Occasionally he'd nab something he wanted to keep for himself or thought Caitlin or Dr. Wells might appreciate. And their most commonly used break room was now overflowing with novelty mugs. But today, nearly everything would be secretly going to Hartley Rathaway. It was all his, after all. And he deserved to have it back.

Especially since it looked like Hartley hadn't been allowed to take any of his stuff with him. It was all still here.

He started with the walls. There was a photo-collage by the desk that included pictures of flowers and city-scapes of Central and a young blonde girl Cisco suspected was Hartley's sister, Jerrie Rathaway. That went, carefully, into the biggest box. A couple of posters followed suit - a _Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_ promo poster, one for a band that Cisco didn't recognize, and a poster based off of one of DaVinci's sketches. That cleared the walls, which were mostly unmarked thanks to the command strips Hartley'd used to put them up in the first place. Though Cisco had botched a removal here and there, leaving places where the paint was ripped off the drywall behind.

Oh well, he wasn't aiming for perfection here.

Next up was the small bookshelf and the chair next to it. The chair was a comfy looking folding sleeper chair in soft blue. No doubt Hartley'd spent a few late nights in this thing. There was no telling if he'd want it back or not, but Cisco folded it up and put it beside the boxes anyway.

The books on the lower two shelves of the book case were put away in two boxes to make them easy to carry. The top shelf held knickknacks and three of a set of four coffee mugs. The fourth had still been on the desk itself when Cisco had opened the door. The one on the desk was moldy and gross and needed a good cleaning, so Cisco had already taken it to the break room to soak. The mugs themselves were the sort of thing Cisco would have liked for himself. On first glance they were based on classical china set patterns, but a closer look revealed that the picturesque scene was less picturesque and more small town being bombarded by multiple apocalypses simultaneously. Robots, pterodactyls, monsters... and a poodle for some reason. It was exactly Cisco's sense of humor... and apparently Hartley's too.

The three clean cups were set aside to await their fourth before he packed those up. The other knickknacks were stowed away in the box with the photos and posters.

That was when the door opened and Dr. Wells entered the room.

"I wasn't sure you planned on going through Hartley's office too," Wells said, gazing around the room.

Cisco shrugged. "I couldn't just avoid it forever, I guess. And it turns out he left a lot of stuff here that, well... you probably call him. See if he wants any of it back. I figured... the photos of his sister, at least. He'd want those."

Dr. Wells grimaced. "I'm afraid he's not taking my calls anymore. And I've tried. He's changed his phone number as well, so I'm not even sure what number to call anymore. We... I tried to play things off to make his departure less of an upset to the work we were doing. But Hartley and I didn't part under good circumstances. It was as much my fault as his. We were always too much alike and when our egos clashed, well..." he let out a humorless laugh. "If you want to track him down yourself, that's of course up to you. But I doubt he'd really want anything that would remind him of this place."

"It's worth a try," Cisco insisted, then added, "though if I can't find him or he doesn't want this stuff back then I'm totally calling dibs on these cups. They're hilarious." He handed one over to Wells to look at, who smiled fondly.

"I clearly should have paid more attention to these. They're funnier than I realized." He handed the mug back. "Anyway, I didn't really come in here to check up on you. Though I am glad to see you're doing okay. I know something upset you the other week and... I've been concerned."

Cisco ducked his head, thoughts racing. "I never really... I never really took time off. After Ronnie... after the accelerator... I guess it finally started getting to me."

"If there's anything I can do, even just listen," Dr. Wells offered, "my door is always open."

"I know. And I appreciate that. But I think... I think I might need something more than a friendly ear. I'm considering contacting a therapist. Just to, you know... get my head back on straight." Cisco smiled wanly. And that actually sounded like a good idea; it wasn't like he hadn't already researched potential therapists when he'd been worried he was hearing voices. He probably shouldn't talk about his developing abilities, but discussing his guilt over Ronnie and his disillusionment with authority figures with a professional really wasn't a bad idea.

Dr. Wells patted Cisco on the arm and it took all of Cisco's will power not to react. Not to flinch away.

"I'm very proud of you, Cisco."

Just what he'd always wanted. But, knowing what he did now, it didn't feel good to hear at all.

"So what did bring you in here?" Cisco asked, changing the subject.

Thankfully, Wells let it drop. "Hartley's computer and files. I locked them up after he left and forgot about them, but since you're airing the room out then I might as well reclaim them. Put the files away in the main file storage area and wipe the desktop and laptop for later reuse. Or reselling I suppose. We certainly don't need as many computers as we used to these days."

"You'll start rehiring again eventually, though... right?" Cisco cocked his head to the side, curious about the answer even as his mind whirled with worry about Dr. Wells sudden interest in Hartley's old computers. Computers that potentially held evidence about the flaws in the accelerator before the explosion masked any trace of them.

Hopefully Cisco could prevent Dr. Wells from taking them away before Cisco could get a look at what was on them.

"How about I grab a cart? We can just move the whole filing cabinet down to storage and in one go and then load up the computers to join the rest of the ones I've gathered that are awaiting reformatting."

Wells frowned. "I hadn't realized we had a backlog. I should have, though, since we don't really have an IT department anymore." He sighed. "I do intend to rehire eventually. But likely STAR Labs will need to rebrand first and, well... take some time for my reputation to recover enough to make reopening work out. I'm grateful you and Caitlin stayed, but I realize... I've largely left you to your own devices while focusing on Mr. Allen's case with Caitlin. While I appreciate all of the work you've been doing in sorting out the... the mess left behind, you deserve something better to do with your time. Something that actually interests you and is befitting your skills as an engineer. And... Hartley may have left behind just the thing. I don't think I'll be able to fit between the desk and the bookshelf, so if you'd check the filing cabinet - top drawer, I think - for a project labeled Hellfighter."

Obediently, Cisco unlocked the cabinet and flipped through the thick, labeled files until he found the one Wells meant. "What's this?"

"It was a personal project of Hartley's, one that was meant to be expanded on after resources opened up after the accelerator was... debuted. Unfortunately, once Hartley left I rather... forgot about it. The Hellfighter designation is a reference to a John Wayne movie about fighting oil rig fires, so perhaps that'll give you an idea of what this particular project entails."

Cisco leafed through it, skimming a paragraph here and there while his eyes were drawn to the schematics. Specifically, schematics for a suit to better protect firefighters. Hartley'd been theorizing about new techniques for fire-proofing certain kinds of already fire-resistant fabrics. Reducing friction in some cases. Improving the heat resistance to allow fire fighters to better functionality whether they were running into a burning building or combatting forest fires. Or, presumably, going after oil rig fires. It wasn't entirely Cisco's area, but it would mean learning new skills. And Cisco had never been one to turn down a chance to learn new skills.

He grinned at Dr. Wells. "I guess I know what I'll be starting on tomorrow. This looks fascinating."

* * *

Mercury Labs looks exactly like Hartley remembers from the last time he was there. Down to the exact same woman managing the front desk in the lobby. Not that he'd have expected there to be any worker turnover in that area in the short amount of time between November and February. Thankfully, the woman at the front desk doesn't appear to recognize Hartley. With any luck, he's not about to get preemptively thrown out of the building.

The last time he was here, Hartley had been absolutely certain that Dr. McGee would accept his walk in demand for an in person conversation. That he'd tell her what he'd found and she'd be appalled by Harrison's arrogance and help him put things right. About the only thing Hartley'd been right about was that she'd agree to talk to him.

This time Hartley's quite certain that Dr. McGee will refuse to speak to him and that'll be the end of things. He'll have to leave here and start filling out applications for jobs left, right, and center in hopes that maybe he can get a job shelving books or serving coffee. Anything that'll pay actual money and isn't waiting tables or fast food. Been there, done that, would sooner return to the mad scientist lair (warehouse) than wait tables again. (And his former employer from his college years would likely agree that was for the best.)

"Do you have an appointment to see her?" The woman - Janet Carter - at the lobby desk asked when Hartley announced himself and his desire to speak to Dr. McGee personally. She was giving him a scrutinizing look and Hartley mentally crossed his fingers that she didn't end up recognizing his name.

"No, but if she isn't free to speak with me today then I'd like the chance to make an appointment," Hartley replied politely. "She'll recognize my name if you'd let her know I'm here," he added.

Janet rolled her eyes, but she also picked up her phone and pressed a button on speed dial anyway. "Dr. McGee, there's a Hartley Rathaway here to see you." Janet's expression changed from bored and somewhat condescending to startled surprise. "O-of course. I'll have him sent right up." She hung up the phone and waved a security officer over with one hand even as she dug out a visitor's badge with the other. Then she handed Hartley the visitor's badge and turned to the officer. "Jack, this is Dr. Hartley Rathaway. He's here to see Dr. McGee. Would you please escort him up to her office? You'll be fine to leave him there, though. Dr. McGee said she'd take over responsibility for him from there."

Hartley clutched the badge in his hand tightly for a minute before clipping it to his shirt. He felt maybe a little dizzy because, well... he hadn't expected her to actually see him. He hadn't actually thought of what he'd say to her to convince her to help him get a job.

But he managed to smile blandly at the security officer and thank Miss Carter for her help before letting himself be led past a security door and into an elevator. Their destination was the top floor and Hartley probably should have spent that time coming up with a plan. Mostly he spent it internally panicking and ignoring the sideways looks from the security guy. Hopefully his composure never outwardly slipped, though.

When Hartley arrived outside Dr. McGee's office, he shook her hand politely when offered and then followed her inside.

"I was surprised to hear you'd come to pay me a visit."

"Because our last one went so terribly?" Hartley asked dryly. "If I remember correctly," he added, crossing his arms over his chest as remembered anger bubbled back up to fortify him now, "I came to ask for your help in stopping the accelerator from exploding and you called me... well, essentially you called me a liar, a hack, and a whore."

Tina winced. "I suppose I did imply you'd been sleeping with Harrison. He'd insinuated... well. I should have known better than to listen to him by now."

"But I suppose old friendships are difficult to let go of, no matter how much that old friend has changed." Hartley paused a beat, then added, "I earned my degree and place at STAR Labs through hard work and I didn't do it on my knees. But unfortunately Harrison Wells has made sure that every place I might find employment as a physicist will think otherwise. I haven't been able to get a job since he fired me and the fact that I was right - that the accelerator was flawed and exploded and nearly blew up half the city with it - apparently doesn't mean a damn thing."

"And what, exactly, do you expect me to do about your lack of employment?" Tina asked, eyebrow raised.

"Honestly, I didn't expect you to see me at all," Hartley admitted. "The fact that I'm standing in your office tells me you at least feel a little guilty about being forewarned and doing nothing. I know how many people died that night. And all their names. I bet you do too."

She looked away, gazing out the window.

"I don't want to work for you, so don't worry. I'm not here to demand a job from you. I just want to be able to use you as a reference on my resume. We have worked together previously, even though I was never actually in your employ. I want my reputation back, Dr. McGee. Even if I have to start over on the bottom rung as a junior scientist all over again." Hartley watched her warily as he finished, wondering what her response would be. If she refused, then the only way he could start over as a scientist would be to leave Central City altogether. And he couldn't do that. Not until he'd exposed whatever Dr. Wells was really up to.

He wanted his revenge, yes... but Harrison was still playing some larger game that had to do with his coma patient. Hartley couldn't abandon Cisco to figure things out on his own.

"I have a position opening up in two weeks for the management of a project involving tachyon generation. The person I wanted to lead the project has had to quit due to personal reasons and I've been looking for a qualified replacement. You have the skills and experience necessary to run this project and when the project is completed you would have your reputation sufficiently restored to write your own ticket at any lab in the city... though I'd hope you'd consider staying on here. Mercury Labs could only benefit from having a scientist of your caliber working here."

Hartley needed to sit down. So he did. "You're serious?"

She nodded. "While the project itself needs to begin in two weeks, we'd begin your hiring process as soon as possible. That way you could spend the next two weeks familiarizing yourself with the project requirements and the three other physicists who'd be on your team. By the time the project is ready to start, you'd already have your office and lab set up to match your specifications. And this solves my concerns about having to delay the project, as with you here there would be no question of beginning the research on time."

And he could refresh his memory on tachyon theory. Hartley knew enough to be dangerous but not enough to consider himself an expert. Not yet anyway.

"Of course, if you're completely against working for me, then I can arrange whatever introduction you need at various other labs in Central and Keystone that will repair the damage to your reputation Harrison has done," McGee promised. 

"Or we could discuss salary," Hartley said quietly. "I'm angry with you over what happened. But not so much that I'd turn down a job offer when I need one. And especially one that essentially lets me pick up my career where it left off."

McGee's smile is relieved, not smug. Which is good because if she'd been smug, he'd have changed his mind entirely. 

* * *

Cisco finishes packing up Hartley's office while quietly freaking out over the laptop and computer, which were now down the hall some ways in the old IT department offices.

Once Hartley's things were put away with the rest of the boxes Cisco was prepping for his next donation run, Cisco went back to the IT department and, much to his relief, the laptop and desktop were both where he'd left them, clearly undisturbed. It didn't take him long to find two terabyte drives and hook them both up to the computers and start running a backup cycle for each one. Which could take hours. Cisco just had to hope that Wells wouldn't check back until that evening earliest.

He left the room with yet another drive, just to give his visit a veneer of legitimacy to the hall cameras. And then he used that to back up his own laptop as an idea formed in his head. He went over to Dr. Wells office next.

"Hey, so do you mind if I wipe one of those unused laptops and reimage it with my own laptop? Give myself a bit of an upgrade specs wise?"

Wells smiled and shook his head. "Of course not. Help yourself to whatever computer you want."

Cisco beamed. "Thanks." And now he had an excuse to head back to the IT office area when his laptop finished backing up and, presumably, both of Hartley's computers were completed. 

Once back in his lab, Cisco tried to start reading the Hellfighter file, but his brain just would not concentrate. So he took the file and headed back to the cortex and went over to the secluded area where Barry lay sleeping. And he started reading the file aloud to Barry.

"He won't talk back, you know," Caitlin said, appearing as if out of nowhere at Cisco's shoulder.

Startled, Cisco nearly fell out of his chair and he pouted at Caitlin. "You need to wear a bell," he told her and her lips twitched in amusement which Cisco took as a victory. "Having a bad afternoon for focusing on work," he admitted. "Reading it out loud to someone else, even someone in a coma, helps be get my focus back."

"What's the file on? Some kind of fire proof fabric?" Caitlin pulled her own chair over and settled down.

Cisco nodded. "Dr. Wells asked me to look into one of Hartley's old projects. Improved protection for firefighters."

"Well, that'll be better for you than the busy work you've been giving yourself," Caitlin said approvingly. "You've been wandering around the building like a ghost these last few weeks."

Listening to ghosts more like. His powers had made him afraid he was going crazy until... until he'd used what they showed him to save Hartley's life.

Cisco closed the file in his hands, fidgeting nervously. Caitlin didn't know about his abilities yet. And he wasn't ready to tell her. But maybe...

Maybe it was the time to tell her the truth about Ronnie and who shut the door to the pipeline.

* * *

Hartley's new salary was a significant improvement over what he'd been making at STAR Labs. Dr. McGee must really want him to stay on after the tachyon project completed. Or she felt extremely guilty and knew better than to offer empty platitudes or unwelcome apologies.

Either way, she treated him to lunch, at her insistence not that Hartley argued overly much, and personally walked him through his contract and intake paperwork afterwards. By the end of the work day, Hartley had a new office, an rfid badge with his name and employee number on it, and the promise of an experimental lab that would be freed up for the tachyon project's use by the end of the week. He'd be issued a laptop the next day once IT finished creating his work profile on the servers. 

He'd given Cisco's address as his place of residence. Hopefully Cisco wouldn't mind how much Hartley wanted to stay in that apartment with him. It was just... the first place he'd felt safe in a very long while.

It wasn't just a job Hartley had now, though. He had health insurance again... which would cover a certain number of visits to a therapist every year. And, well... maybe he should look into counseling. His panic attack that first night at Cisco's apartment had made it clear he wasn't taking good enough care of his mental health since being fired. 

The last thing he wanted was a repeat performance of that panic attack in the middle of investigating the link between what Barry Allen experienced the night of his mother's death and the unusual effects caused by the accelerator's containment failure. What good would he be to Cisco if that happened?

He's still thinking about it as he stops at the grocery store and splurges a little for a celebratory dinner on the way home. Hopefully Cisco wouldn't mind some spaghetti, but it had been forever since Hartley last made his personal sauce recipe and cheesy garlic bread to go with it.

* * *

Cisco's hands were shaking as he finished talking and he couldn't... he couldn't look at Caitlin. Couldn't bear to see his best friend look at him with... anger or disgust or...

"I already knew, Cisco. The only way to shut the door is from the outside. The only answer was that he'd made you do it." Caitlin took his hands in hers and squeezed gently. "I never blamed you. If I'd realized you did..."

"He'd be alive, though, if I had just waited a little longer." Cisco's voice cracked.

Caitlin let go of his hands and, gently, wrapped her arms around him. "Don't do that. Don't second guess what happened or the what ifs will drive you crazy. You did what Ronnie told you to and it was the right call." She kissed the top of his hair and pulled away. "I know I've been... I've been distant lately. Come get dinner with me after work."

He was tempted. But he had far too many reasons to want to go straight home tonight. The boxes of Hartley's things, the disc drives with the computer back ups...

Cisco shook his head negatively. "Not... not tonight Caitlin. Later this week definitely, but... tonight isn't a good night for me."

"Alright." Caitlin sighed softly, giving him a worried look. "Promise me, Cisco. You'll try to stop blaming yourself for what happened."

"I've... I've been thinking I should find a therapist," he told her and smiled ruefully at the sight of her relieved expression. "I'm going to be alright, Caitlin. I just... I just need time."

She nodded reluctantly. 

Cisco checked the time and then said, "I need to check and see if my laptop's finished backing up. I'm going to re-image one of the abandoned laptops for my use. Don't suppose you want an upgrade for your computer?"

She shook her head. "I'm good with the one I've got for now." 

He picked up his discarded file and headed back to his lab. The back up was indeed finished, so he headed over to the IT offices. Those backups were done too, which meant he could take them with him, if his was careful to hide the drives under his new laptop while still figuring out how keep it looking natural. It took him a few minutes to figure it out and then headed back to his lab. He started the re-imaging process on that one, locked up his old laptop, and the slid the drives of Hartley's old computers into his bag. It was time to head home by then, so Cisco went to say goodnight to Dr. Wells, as he usually did and which kept things seemingly normal. 

"I was thinking I'd bring Hartley's stuff home with me so I don't mix it up with the donation boxes," Cisco told him. "And it'll remind me to try tracking him down later this week."

"Want help loading up your car?" Wells rolled away from his desk. "I could use a break."

"You should go home on time for a change," Cisco teased, then added, "but yes. I'd appreciate the help. There are three boxes, so I was just going to load them onto a cart. But if you can take two, then I should be able to handle the other one and get the doors. Then I won't have to worry about putting the cart away after."

Wells nodded and smiled. "I can certainly do that."

And maybe the whole thing would have seemed normal, except Dr. Wells wasn't quite as stealthy as he clearly believed himself to be. And as Cisco drove away in his beat up old four dour sedan, he wondered how, exactly, he was going to deal with the tracker that had been slipped into the second box of books.

* * *

"Oh my god that smells delicious," Cisco said as he came into the apartment, dropping a box on the floor beside him.

Hartley grinned. "Spaghetti. The sauce is my secret recipe, not some goop from a bottle."

"I'd defend the tastiness of bottle goop, but I don't want to be barred from the deliciousness on the stove." Cisco closed the door and set his laptop bag on top of the box before coming over to the stove. "Need someone to taste test? Because I volunteer."

"Alright, grab a spoon and you can taste test," Hartley told him with a laugh, moving aside so Cisco could reach the meat sauce easily enough.

"It's even better than it smells..." Cisco moaned with pleasure at the taste and, well, Hartley blushed brightly. 

If he could ever stop having nightmares, hopefully he wouldn't start dreaming of that particular sound instead. It'd be... awkward to wake up from if he was still sharing Cisco's bed by then.

"I'm glad you like it. What's in the box?"

"Uh... I, uh... I went through your old office." Cisco sounded a little nervous now. "Brought your stuff back with me. There are two more boxes in the trunk of my car."

"You... you got my things back?" Hartley asked, sounding a bit dazed to his own ears. He'd thought... he'd thought he'd never seen any of that again.

Cisco went back to the box and pulled out... the photo collage of Jerrie and the photos she'd taken during her photography phase. He set the collage down on the counter beside the stove and then gently reached over to swipe his thumb across Hartley's cheek. "Hey, please tell me these are happy tears?"

"They are." Hartley gently touched the frame, gazing at his sister's image. He had other photographs, but they were all in rental unit with Hartley's other things. "Did... Harrison notice you in there?"

"Yeah, but I've been going through pretty much everything everyone else left behind. So it doesn't really stand out that I went through yours either. Your chair is still there, up against the wall in the office. But it shouldn't be too big a deal for me to nab that in a few days too, if I say I found you in Keystone or something and you'll be swinging by my place to grab your things. Instead we can drive over to Keystone and ditch this somewhere," he said, holding up a small device. "It's a tracker. Dr. Wells is trying to find you. No microphone or camera, though, so it's GPS only."

"That's both good, since he's not listening to us right now. But very concerning since he wants to find me. Is that the only one?" Hartley took the tracker and looked it over for himself, confirming what Cisco had already determined. Tracker, but nothing more.

"As far as I can tell. I rechecked both the boxes he carried to the car for me. And, no, I couldn't politely turn down his help. As far as he knows, I'm doing with your stuff the same thing I've done with three others stuff so far. Bringing it home so that the rightful owner won't have to visit STAR Labs to pick up their stuff. No one who left wants to go back after..." Cisco shrugged. "He was a little too interested in your old computers, though. I made back up images of them so that if there's anything important on them, the info wouldn't be lost if he wiped the originals. I mean, he probably already deleted anything useful on them after firing you, but... if he didn't..."

"There was evidence of the flaws I found on my laptop. I sent him an email with some of my findings before heading into the pipeline. I'd... completely forgotten it might still be there." Hartley shook off the memory and grinned at Cisco. "That was brilliant, Cisco. Seems like you had a busy day." He turned the heat off on the stove. "We'll have to bring up the other two boxes after dinner. And I, uh... I have some good news of my own."

"Really?" Cisco smiled expectantly. "What happened? Did you track down Barry's old house?"

They'd narrowed it down to three neighborhoods in the right area for him to have been at the same middle school as Iris West, but they'd yet to find the actual address yet. Hartley wondered how PIs did stuff like this all the time. They clearly just didn't have the right skill set for this...

"Sadly, no. But I did, uh... I went to Mercury Labs and I got a job." Hartley shifted nervously, checking the pasta noodles which were just about ready to drain. His eyes flicked back to Jerrie's picture. 

Would she be proud of him, knowing all the bad choices he'd made?

"Seriously? That's great. But I thought..." Cisco's brow furrowed. "I know Dr. Wells did something to wreck your reputation."

"He did. And before the accelerator exploded, I went to Dr. McGee for help. She shut me down because she believed Harrison's lies. Now she feels guilty about it, so... when I asked her to help me fix my career, she felt guilty enough to offer me a job instead of just being a reference for my resume like I was asking." Hartley pulled out a colander and stuck it in the sink for the noodles. "I really did not want to go to her for help. Our last meeting... it was shitty and I got thrown out of a building by security for the second time in one week after Harrison had already..."

"I'm surprised you went to see her again," Cisco said quietly. "And kind of impressed too. That... it couldn't have been easy for you."

"It wasn't. But she offered me a really amazing research opportunity and the chance to just... pick up my career like it never got interrupted." Hartley sighed and added, "and I've got no idea how I feel about it because every time I start to feel excited about the research, I remember why my career got fucked in the first place and how Dr. McGee... didn't exactly contribute to it but she sure as hell did make it worse anyway."

"If you need tips on how to pretend you're totally fine and everything's okay when in fact you think your boss is the most awful person ever, I can help with that," Cisco told him, half joking.

"Eh, I don't need to pretend. She knows exactly how pissed off I am about this situation. I'm sorry you're stuck with the undercover work for now," Hartley added ruefully.

Cisco shrugged. "It won't be forever. Anyway. Dinner please?"

* * *

After bringing up the rest of Hartley's things from Cisco's car, they carefully checked everything over for more trackers. But there really was just the one. They'd have to give the chair a good look over too if Hartley decides he wants it back, but... they can deal with it later.

Hartley is all too pleased to get his coffee mug set back, squeezing them into what little space remained in the cabinet space Cisco used for his own mugs. It kind of makes Cisco want to cry a little just how happy Hartley is to get these little pieces of his life back.

It leaves Cisco all too aware that this isn't even the first time Hartley's had to deal with his life falling apart. Hard to forget with the pictures of Hartley's sister - whom he hasn't been allowed to see in person since he was eighteen - sitting right there on Cisco's coffee table.

"You know... you might as well just start the night off sleeping in the bed," Cisco offered quietly. "I mean, one of us is bound to have nightmares and you'll wind up there anyway. Might as well save time tonight."

Cisco had not intended the offer to make Hartley look so... panicked.

"It was just an idea," he said, back tracking a little. "If you'd rather sleep out here, that's totally fine..."

"No, that's... it's..." Hartley sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Today just... reminded me of what Harrison was telling people. To ruin my reputation as a physicist. He... he made it sound like I'd slept my way to my PhD and my position at STAR Labs."

"I kind of... knew that he said that," Cisco admitted. "It, uh... the rumors he started came up during my attempts to find you."

"I didn't earn my degree or any of my promotions at STAR Labs through sex," Hartley said insistently. The vehemence in his tone told Cisco that he was about to learn something new and awful about Dr. Wells.

So Cisco reached out and gently took Hartley's hand in his. Did his best to be quietly reassuring.

"When I got my last promotion at STAR Labs, that was when I started working really closely with Harrison. When we became... when I thought we became friends. And there a lot of late nights. Sometimes because we really were trying to meet a deadline. Sometimes because we just... got caught up in the science and it was so nice to feel like I was on the same wavelength with someone I admired so much. And, well... it didn't hurt that he was so attractive either. But I didn't... I was dating someone else. And he was kind of the jealous type. When he started accusing me of cheating on him with Harrison, I broke up with him. I wasn't... I never... but after I broke things off with Chip, something in Harrison's dynamic with me shifted. I didn't have sex with him to secure my place at STAR Labs and I never cheated on anyone with him. But I did sleep with him. And it feels like everyone's judging me for it now even though no one can even get the facts right..."

And, yeah, the vaguely homicidal feelings towards Dr. Wells Cisco has been nursing since he realized the man had deliberately set off a flawed accelerator had just intensified.

"Screw them. Seriously. You are brilliant and talented and you were taken advantage of by someone you trusted, which isn't your fault. No one has the right to judge you for that, okay?"

Hartley nodded slowly, as if he didn't totally believe what Cisco had just said. "I think I still need the distance. Even though we both know I'm probably going to wind up needing comfort after nightmares in the middle of the night. Right now I just really can't..."

"Alright," Cisco told him even though all he really wanted was to wrap Hartley up in blankets and protect him from the world.

How had he gone from hating Hartley to wanting nothing more than to keep him safe so quickly?

"Good night Hartley."

"'Night, Cisco..."

**Author's Note:**

> Hartley's coffee mugs are based off the 'It Could be Worse' mug set sold by Calamityware. While the mugs themselves weren't available until after the 2015 kickstarter completed, in this world clearly they - or something like them - were made a little earlier. :D
> 
> Currently, EoWells doesn't suspect Cisco and Hartley are working together. Hartley just happens to know dangerous info about EoWells and has gone off the grid, which makes our resident evil speedster a little nervous. Hence the GPS tracker. He's basically playing a long shot chance at getting eyes back on Hartley's movements.


End file.
